MIAMI (AP) -- Just two years ago, Dwyane Wade was borrowing money for his son's diapers.
Owning a waterside home was beyond the realm of fantasy for someone who didn't always have birthday and Christmas presents as a kid. Forget gifts -- there were times as a youngster when his family went without food.
Everything's so different now for the Miami Heat guard.
His 3,190-square-foot, six-bedroom house, bought in October 2003, already seems too small; Wade wants to upgrade because he, only half kiddingly, says it cannot hold all his shoes. The Chrysler he drove was replaced by a customized Range Rover after Wade signed with a South Florida dealership. His nickname, Flash, is on the sneakers Converse pays him $400,000 annually to wear.
Like his on-court numbers, his off-court stock is rising -- as is his asking price. Wade's endorsement deals already reach into the millions, and some believe he's just getting started as a businessman.
``When I sit down and think that all this has come in two years, it's amazing,'' Wade says. ``It's crazy.''
After just two NBA seasons, Wade is one of basketball's hottest commodities, with his list of off-the-court deals growing all the time. This week, he flew to New York for one of the lucrative side jobs enhancing his $2.85 million Heat salary: A photo shoot for Sean John, the popular clothing line founded by hip-hop mogul Sean ``P. Diddy'' Combs. Billboards and magazine ads with Wade wearing the fall-winter collection will be released nationwide shortly.
Soon, he'll be off to Vancouver to work on EA Sports' ``NBA Live 06'' video game; Wade was chosen as the player to grace the cover. From there, he'll hit Chicago for a major signing event with Hollywood Collectibles, another of his side employers -- a rapidly growing group, even though Wade turns down many offers.
He's recently been on ``Live with Regis and Kelly.'' David Letterman's people have called. People magazine listed him as one of its ''50 most beautiful people.'' His jersey ranks among the NBA's top sellers. A movie producer sent a script along, wondering if Wade's ready to start acting. There's talk of him starting a music production company. And, if time allows, Wade will attend a Paris fashion show -- as a model, not a guest.
Oh, and he'll spend plenty of hours this summer working on his game, too.
``I could say it's a dream come true, but I kind of feel sometimes like I have to pinch myself,'' Wade says. ``Every day, I'm happy. There's no reason for me to be mad about anything. Every day, I'm happy because I get an opportunity to do everything I always wanted to do -- and more.''
Wade is not letting newfound fame and fortune affect his makeup. Some teammates prefer fine dining; Wade remains partial to burgers and fries.
He hasn't forgotten the truly hard times. His status has changed, but his down-to-earth ways have not.
``That has been the most impressive thing about him,'' says his Chicago-based agent, Henry Thomas. ``He has handled his rapid rise to stardom with tremendous class. He has remained humble, respectful and appreciative of the success he has been blessed with.''
Wade won't discuss specifics of his financial deal with Sean John, other than to say he could have made much more money from another clothing line but turned down that offer because he felt it wasn't consistent with the clean-cut professional image he'd prefer to portray.
Combs -- who says he will make Wade ``the first NBA male supermodel'' -- approached Wade one night on Miami Beach, and quickly offered the modeling job during a wide-ranging conversation that lasted about a half-hour. Wade, a bit stunned by the opportunity, eventually called Combs and accepted.
``I learn a lot from someone like him,'' Wade says. ``He has something in everything. He's hands-on with everything he does business-wise. He's one of the most successful businessmen ever. Every time I see him, I walk away with a feeling that I just talked to an icon. ... He's a Pat Riley-type guy.''
For his part, Riley, the Heat's president, approves of the way Wade has handled his business decisions. In their end-of-season meeting, Riley said he had a simple message for the All-Star: ``Keep it real.''
``What that means to him is that he knows where he came from,'' Riley says. ``He knows how he got here. He knows why all these things are coming at him -- because he's worked and he's cared about winning and about being a competitor. As long as he keeps it real that way, he'll be able to handle all the other stuff.''
Wade is coming off his first All-Star campaign. Flourishing in his first year alongside Shaquille O'Neal, Wade averaged 24.1 points, 6.8 assists and 5.2 rebounds this past season for the Heat, numbers that helped vault him to superstar status.
With that status comes opportunity, and with that opportunity comes a need for some sacrifice.
Wade will be away from his wife, Siohvaughn, and 3-year-old son, Zaire, for long stretches this summer, simply because of all the continent crisscrossing he'll do to take advantage of his newfound celebrity.
``My wife understands the reason I'm gone, to keep my family financially stable so they don't have to worry,'' Wade says. ``I have a very cool wife, man. We've been together since we were 16 years old. She gets what it takes to keep me happy and I'm trying to continue to get what it takes to keep her happy.''
Wade remains generous with his time and money, although he's also learning how hard it is to say ``no'' on occasion to relatives and friends looking to him for help. He no longer tithes 10 percent of his pretax earnings to his former church in Chicago, but will resume tithing when he and his wife choose a church in South Florida.
He's selecting his business deals carefully. He has complete trust in Thomas, his agent who was much-maligned in some circles after other members of Wade's draft class -- namely LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony -- quickly signed endorsement deals that dwarfed what Wade was making off the court.
Patience is paying off.
``For 21 years of my life, I felt like I was poor and things weren't going right,'' Wade says. ``But maybe the next 60 years of my life, 70 years of my life, maybe everything will be fine. Maybe I'll be wealthy enough so it will be. That's a good trade-off and I feel very blessed.''
Owning a waterside home was beyond the realm of fantasy for someone who didn't always have birthday and Christmas presents as a kid. Forget gifts -- there were times as a youngster when his family went without food.
Everything's so different now for the Miami Heat guard.
His 3,190-square-foot, six-bedroom house, bought in October 2003, already seems too small; Wade wants to upgrade because he, only half kiddingly, says it cannot hold all his shoes. The Chrysler he drove was replaced by a customized Range Rover after Wade signed with a South Florida dealership. His nickname, Flash, is on the sneakers Converse pays him $400,000 annually to wear.
Like his on-court numbers, his off-court stock is rising -- as is his asking price. Wade's endorsement deals already reach into the millions, and some believe he's just getting started as a businessman.
``When I sit down and think that all this has come in two years, it's amazing,'' Wade says. ``It's crazy.''
After just two NBA seasons, Wade is one of basketball's hottest commodities, with his list of off-the-court deals growing all the time. This week, he flew to New York for one of the lucrative side jobs enhancing his $2.85 million Heat salary: A photo shoot for Sean John, the popular clothing line founded by hip-hop mogul Sean ``P. Diddy'' Combs. Billboards and magazine ads with Wade wearing the fall-winter collection will be released nationwide shortly.
Soon, he'll be off to Vancouver to work on EA Sports' ``NBA Live 06'' video game; Wade was chosen as the player to grace the cover. From there, he'll hit Chicago for a major signing event with Hollywood Collectibles, another of his side employers -- a rapidly growing group, even though Wade turns down many offers.
He's recently been on ``Live with Regis and Kelly.'' David Letterman's people have called. People magazine listed him as one of its ''50 most beautiful people.'' His jersey ranks among the NBA's top sellers. A movie producer sent a script along, wondering if Wade's ready to start acting. There's talk of him starting a music production company. And, if time allows, Wade will attend a Paris fashion show -- as a model, not a guest.
Oh, and he'll spend plenty of hours this summer working on his game, too.
``I could say it's a dream come true, but I kind of feel sometimes like I have to pinch myself,'' Wade says. ``Every day, I'm happy. There's no reason for me to be mad about anything. Every day, I'm happy because I get an opportunity to do everything I always wanted to do -- and more.''
Wade is not letting newfound fame and fortune affect his makeup. Some teammates prefer fine dining; Wade remains partial to burgers and fries.
He hasn't forgotten the truly hard times. His status has changed, but his down-to-earth ways have not.
``That has been the most impressive thing about him,'' says his Chicago-based agent, Henry Thomas. ``He has handled his rapid rise to stardom with tremendous class. He has remained humble, respectful and appreciative of the success he has been blessed with.''
Wade won't discuss specifics of his financial deal with Sean John, other than to say he could have made much more money from another clothing line but turned down that offer because he felt it wasn't consistent with the clean-cut professional image he'd prefer to portray.
Combs -- who says he will make Wade ``the first NBA male supermodel'' -- approached Wade one night on Miami Beach, and quickly offered the modeling job during a wide-ranging conversation that lasted about a half-hour. Wade, a bit stunned by the opportunity, eventually called Combs and accepted.
``I learn a lot from someone like him,'' Wade says. ``He has something in everything. He's hands-on with everything he does business-wise. He's one of the most successful businessmen ever. Every time I see him, I walk away with a feeling that I just talked to an icon. ... He's a Pat Riley-type guy.''
For his part, Riley, the Heat's president, approves of the way Wade has handled his business decisions. In their end-of-season meeting, Riley said he had a simple message for the All-Star: ``Keep it real.''
``What that means to him is that he knows where he came from,'' Riley says. ``He knows how he got here. He knows why all these things are coming at him -- because he's worked and he's cared about winning and about being a competitor. As long as he keeps it real that way, he'll be able to handle all the other stuff.''
Wade is coming off his first All-Star campaign. Flourishing in his first year alongside Shaquille O'Neal, Wade averaged 24.1 points, 6.8 assists and 5.2 rebounds this past season for the Heat, numbers that helped vault him to superstar status.
With that status comes opportunity, and with that opportunity comes a need for some sacrifice.
Wade will be away from his wife, Siohvaughn, and 3-year-old son, Zaire, for long stretches this summer, simply because of all the continent crisscrossing he'll do to take advantage of his newfound celebrity.
``My wife understands the reason I'm gone, to keep my family financially stable so they don't have to worry,'' Wade says. ``I have a very cool wife, man. We've been together since we were 16 years old. She gets what it takes to keep me happy and I'm trying to continue to get what it takes to keep her happy.''
Wade remains generous with his time and money, although he's also learning how hard it is to say ``no'' on occasion to relatives and friends looking to him for help. He no longer tithes 10 percent of his pretax earnings to his former church in Chicago, but will resume tithing when he and his wife choose a church in South Florida.
He's selecting his business deals carefully. He has complete trust in Thomas, his agent who was much-maligned in some circles after other members of Wade's draft class -- namely LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony -- quickly signed endorsement deals that dwarfed what Wade was making off the court.
Patience is paying off.
``For 21 years of my life, I felt like I was poor and things weren't going right,'' Wade says. ``But maybe the next 60 years of my life, 70 years of my life, maybe everything will be fine. Maybe I'll be wealthy enough so it will be. That's a good trade-off and I feel very blessed.''
